Pondering... Boat Club? Seasonal boat ownership? Long term?

[agallant80]

Re: Pondering... Boat Club? Seasonal boat ownership? Long term?

#2 or take a vacation every year on the $$ saved by not owning a boat.

I get a vacation every weekend during the summer because I do own a boat.

 

[crabby captain john]

Re: Pondering... Boat Club? Seasonal boat ownership? Long term?

you can get banned for saying such heresy

I know but some people think they can buy a cheap old boat and just put gas in it and then stick it in the back yard for the winter. If you do not want to work on a boat or pay someone to do it, best not to own a boat. I've owned boats for over 40 years. Had that money been put away I could buy Trump Tower now~~~~ but had too much fun with the boats.

 

[claydus]

Re: Pondering... Boat Club? Seasonal boat ownership? Long term?

Thanks for all the replies and suggestions. I could definitely learn from some seasoned veterans.

I really like the idea Home Cookin' suggested. I may not get the best deal. But I may have some peace of mind about the boat.

However, we are going try to budget what feasible to us. I hate the idea of renting a boat but probably best to warm my wife up to the idea of actually owning a boat. Ideally we would invite some people to come with us and share part of the rental cost. I am thinking 2 weekends a month for May, June, July, August that we'll mark down on the calendar.

One marina on lanier has deck boats for $375 for a full day rental.
Aqua Sports Adventures Boat and Waverunner Rentals

Even if I rent the same boat for 24 hours for 1 weekend a month for 4 months... I am only spending $1600 instead of $10,000. Truthfully it's not mine but its' also hassle free for the most part and not another mortgage payment.

I wish I knew more people that owned a boat so we could tag along. I would soo take advantage of that.

 

[smokeonthewater]

Re: Pondering... Boat Club? Seasonal boat ownership? Long term?

start spending weekends on the lake and you should soon know other boat people... btw... double your figure... boats use a lot of fuel and you'll have to pay for that too.

 

[southkogs]

Re: Pondering... Boat Club? Seasonal boat ownership? Long term?

Ain't a bad way start Claydus. You can always adjust from there. It'll give you some more time on the water to observe and learn.

 

[airdvr1227]

Re: Pondering... Boat Club? Seasonal boat ownership? Long term?

My biggest concerns with the time-share boat people is...who fixes things when they break? Let's suppose for a second that I have the boat and it cooks a motor. Am I responsible for the entire repair? That would suck.

 

[superbenk]

Re: Pondering... Boat Club? Seasonal boat ownership? Long term?

My biggest concerns with the time-share boat people is...who fixes things when they break? Let's suppose for a second that I have the boat and it cooks a motor. Am I responsible for the entire repair? That would suck.

Isn't that covered by club fees?

 

[claydus]

Re: Pondering... Boat Club? Seasonal boat ownership? Long term?

Isn't that covered by club fees?

I think he may be referring to a "private" time share with another individual.

 

[Brian 26]

Re: Pondering... Boat Club? Seasonal boat ownership? Long term?

Even though I'm late and most things have been covered I'll chime in with my thoughts.

I too have a 2006 V6 4runner. I've towed the maximum 5000 lbs and it tows fine with trailer brakes. However I wouldn't try a cross country trip.

Option 1 is going to cost you about $3k per year.
Option 2 is going to cost you 10-15k per year so as others have said that's not a viable option, although you would have a new best friend in that salesman.

The daily rental of $375 seems to fit perfect until you decide what you want to do as a more permanent solution.

Boat clubs and time shares look good on paper but who wants to watch the clock the whole time you're out on the water to make sure you have the boat back by a certain time, or have your one booked day get rained out.

Private time shares are becoming more popular in my area, there are contracts you sign into and/or LLCs that are formed. People will put craigslist ads out asking for partners. Its too many what ifs for me to get my head around - example - the partner bounces the lower unit off a rock but decides it doesn't need to be fixed even though I want it fixed on his dime. A month later the bearings go out because the shaft was bent and he kept driving it, now he says per the contract the bearings were a wear item and need to be paid for 50/50....it just seems like there are to many things that could go wrong.

 

[agallant80]

Re: Pondering... Boat Club? Seasonal boat ownership? Long term?

There is no way I would do a private share. as Brian26 said there are way to many things that can go wrong and I would not want to spend my time chasing down people who do not pay their dues, repair bills, leave the boat trashed. If you look at the timeshare world of condos they all pay a managment company to deal with these things and for good reason. People tend to get involved in things when they are excited and the excitment wares off and they don't want to live up to their obligation.

 

[mpsyamaha]

Re: Pondering... Boat Club? Seasonal boat ownership? Long term?

To the OP, if i was in your shoes, I would buy a cheapish used pontoon boat, pay for whatever type of storage best suits you, and use it for a couple years. After that period of time you will gain a much better understanding of what owning a boat is like, and how much money you really want to put into your future dream boat, or maybe you will just sell it and swear off boating (i doubt it). A pontoon with a good outboard on it is about as easy at it gets for reliability and cost to be on the lake. Low stress too, because docking is not such an issue as it is with a shiny new fiberglass hull (and a newby driver!). Boat clubs can be a good option, but if you are a weekend-only boater, reservations are hard to come by.

My .02 on partnering on a boat....
Only way for a private share to work well is if both parties are knowledgeable and experienced boaters, preferably good friends or family, and agreements over maintenance, repairs, and damage are worked out from the start. Experienced boaters understand that boating costs a lot of money, and they understand what kind repairs are chance occurrences and which ones are actually someones fault. I have partnered on boats with my friend (we are both professional boat mechanics) for years and we have never had a disagreement, it has worked out beautifully. Neither of us use the damn boats we've owned enough, so at least with two families with access they get used a reasonable amount.

 

[eavega]

Re: Pondering... Boat Club? Seasonal boat ownership? Long term?

However, we are going try to budget what feasible to us. I hate the idea of renting a boat but probably best to warm my wife up to the idea of actually owning a boat. Ideally we would invite some people to come with us and share part of the rental cost. I am thinking 2 weekends a month for May, June, July, August that we'll mark down on the calendar.

One marina on lanier has deck boats for $375 for a full day rental.
Aqua Sports Adventures Boat and Waverunner Rentals

Even if I rent the same boat for 24 hours for 1 weekend a month for 4 months... I am only spending $1600 instead of $10,000. Truthfully it's not mine but its' also hassle free for the most part and not another mortgage payment.

Hi there! I live about 18 miles from Lake Lanier. I own a boat, but have a couple of friends of mine that don't. They boat once or twice a month, and rent every time. If you eye the Val-Pack mailers we get in the mail, or sign on to local "Deal a day" sites from Atlanta, you'll see coupons for 1/2 off off a half-day rental come up fairly regularly in the spring. Works out to $100 for a pontoon, I/O runabout, or wave-runner. Limitation is that you can only use the coupons Monday through Friday. My buddies take a half day from work on Friday. They are picking up the rentals by 1 PM, dropping them off by 6. They pre-plan the number of days they are going to go out on the lake, and buy that many coupons. Usually works out to less than $1000 a year including fuel, and they don't have to worry about service, towing, storage, etc.

I wish I knew more people that owned a boat so we could tag along. I would soo take advantage of that.

Look around this forum for other N. GA boaters. Most of us are Lake Lanier/Lake Allatoona boaters. In fact, if you look hard enough I'm sure you will find a Lake Lanier Boaters Group reference. We all come from various places and various walks of life, but are all united in a love of getting out on the water. Talk about friends with boats!

Good luck, and welcome to the neighborhood!

Rgds

Eric

 

[Natesms]

Re: Pondering... Boat Club? Seasonal boat ownership? Long term?

To the OP, if i was in your shoes, I would buy a cheapish used pontoon boat, pay for whatever type of storage best suits you, and use it for a couple years. After that period of time you will gain a much better understanding of what owning a boat is like, and how much money you really want to put into your future dream boat, or maybe you will just sell it and swear off boating (i doubt it). A pontoon with a good outboard on it is about as easy at it gets for reliability and cost to be on the lake. Low stress too, because docking is not such an issue as it is with a shiny new fiberglass hull (and a newby driver!). Boat clubs can be a good option, but if you are a weekend-only boater, reservations are hard to come by.

My .02 on partnering on a boat....
Only way for a private share to work well is if both parties are knowledgeable and experienced boaters, preferably good friends or family, and agreements over maintenance, repairs, and damage are worked out from the start. Experienced boaters understand that boating costs a lot of money, and they understand what kind repairs are chance occurrences and which ones are actually someones fault. I have partnered on boats with my friend (we are both professional boat mechanics) for years and we have never had a disagreement, it has worked out beautifully. Neither of us use the damn boats we've owned enough, so at least with two families with access they get used a reasonable amount.

Very well said, as with what smoke said I believe you are perfect candidate for the affordable pontoon. Good friend of mine got one last year that was run down, had the the seats redone and found a good motor on craiglist. He has About $4500 in it, and out on the lake you don't notice much difference between his and the $35K model tied up to it. Well there is a difference, but not a $30K+ difference!

Also ditto on the partner thing. Both parties have to understand the absolute money pit aspect of a boat. I have a partner on my boat that has been my best friend for almost 20 years. We keep a spreadsheet of all costs, and divide them down the middle and understand stuff happens. Both parties agree what to buy for the boat and we even divide up maintenance tasks (I'm smaller so I fit in the engine compartment better). For me it makes boating much more enjoyable as it cuts the cost in half and always have company on the lake.

 

[Brian 26]

Re: Pondering... Boat Club? Seasonal boat ownership? Long term?

...Works out to $100 for a pontoon, I/O runabout, or wave-runner. ....
Eric

That is a steal, I'd be all over that one. To put that into perspective I just bought a Seadoo GTI from a guy that owned it for 5 years since new and put 56 hours on it. He took a $7,000 bath on it, that is $125 per hour just in depreciation, and then he had maintenance, storage, trailering...